We reach out to residents in our community to assess their needs and promote awareness of services and resources available for them.
One such initiative resulted in Golden ConneXion. Golden Connexion is a project started in partnership between TRANS Family Service Centre (Bedok Reservoir) and a group of residents staying at Blk 609A Bedok Reservoir Road (‘Golden Cassia’).
Designed under the HDB studio apartment scheme, the block was built specifically for adults above the age of 55. Some of the residents live with their spouse, while some live alone. Due to a substantial number of elderly living alone, facing health and other social issues, a group of concerned residents started to take initiative to improve the current living situation. Many residents felt the need for enhanced safety measures for frail and elderly residents.
When two residents came forward to share their struggles in advocating residents’ needs with TRANS FSC, the staff identified a handful of residents who had similar concerns and decided to partner and empower them to meet their block’s needs. The group decided to have a collective identity and named themselves ‘Golden ConneXion’ as they see themselves as ‘connectors’, connecting residents to resources in the community.
In their first year, the group successfully advocated to relevant key stakeholders for improved lighting, fire safety and the construction of new access pathways. Since then, they have organized a Police Dialogue in December 2017 and have established close working relationships with other community partners.